Impinging oil filter

ABSTRACT

An oil filter for an engine is in the form of a reservoir mounted in an oil pan having a closed interior volume and an open top edge spaced from an adjoining oil pan sidewall and positioned to receive oil with entrained debris as the oil flows by gravity after being centrifugally flung radially outward from the moving engine components. The debris separates from the oil in the reservoir, with clean oil overflowing the top edge of the wall for recirculation in the engine.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure is related to engine oil filters.

An internal combustion engine contains numerous rotating andreciprocating components, such as a crank shaft, connecting rods,pistons, etc. These engine components rotate or reciprocate at highengine speeds and require a thin film of oil between adjacent metalparts to prevent wear.

An oil pan having a tub-like shape is typically attached to the bottomportion of the engine block beneath the crank shift and the connectingrods. The oil pans acts as a sump for collecting oil as it flows fromthe engine component as well as providing a supply of oil to be pumpedback through the engine.

During engine operation, metal particles and dirt collect in the oil andcan cause damage to the engine components. Thus, an internal combustionengine is provided with a filter through which the oil flows to removethe metal particles and dirt in order to clean the oil. The oil filtermust be replaced at frequent intervals, typically every 5,000, or 10,000miles, depending upon engine operating conditions, to prevent the filterfrom reintroducing the collected metal particles and dirt back into theengine oil.

It would be desirable to provide a different type of oil filter whichdoes not require replacement during the life of an engine.

SUMMARY

An oil pan is disclosed for an engine with rotating memberscentrifugally moving oil radially outward toward an engine case wall.The oil pan includes a reservoir carried in the oil pan for collectingoil and entrained debris as the oil flows into the oil pan. Thereservoir is defined by a wall with a top edge, the wall being fixed toan interior of an oil pan with opposed sides and bottom portions of thewall sealed to the oil pan. The top edge of the wall is spaced from anadjacent oil pan sidewall to collect the oil and entrained debris as theoil flows from the case wall into the reservoir whereby the debriscollects in the reservoir separate from the oil. The wall of thereservoir includes a main wall portion having opposed offset sideflanges and an offset bottom flange with the opposed sidewall flangesand the bottom wall flange fixedly secured to the oil pan and spacing atop edge of the wall from an adjacent portion of the oil pan sidewall.The wall of the reservoir includes a main wall portion having an offsetbottom flange, the bottom flange fixedly and seemingly secured to theoil pans, opposed side portions of the main wall sealingly deposedrelative to the oil pans, and a top edge of the main wall is spaced froman adjoining oil pan sidewall to define an opening into an interiorvolume defining the debris collection reservoir.

The oil pan includes a bottom wall and sidewalls, the wall fixed to thesidewalls. The bottom of the wall is spaced above the bottom wall of theoil pan. A main portion of the wall is parallel to a portion of the oilpan sidewall. The wall side flange spaces the top edge of the wall fromthe sidewall of the oil pan.

In one aspect, the wall is disposed at a non-parallel angle from the oilpan sidewall. The bottom flange of the wall is fixed to the bottom wallof the oil pan. The reservoir defines an interior volume for collectingoil from the engine case wall. A method is disclosed for forming an oilfilter in an oil pan of an engine with rotating components for removingdebris from the oil. The method includes centrifugally moving oildroplets by the moving components of the engine radially outward fromthe moving components, and accumulating the oil droplets on a case wallof engine. The oil droplets flow toward the oil pan by inertia andgravity. A reservoir is formed with an open top end space from asidewall to the oil pan below the case wall to collect oil and debrisflowing downward from the case wall. The method separates debris fromthe oil in the reservoir and collects the debris in the reservoir toclean the oil of the debris. The method includes forming a reservoir ofa plate fixed to the side wall of an engine pan.

The method forms the reservoir of a wall having a top edge spaced fromthe side wall the oil pan and an opposed side flanges joined to the sidewall of the oil pan. A bottom flange of the wall fixed to the bottomwall of the oil pan.

The oil filter is sized to collect debris from the oil during the lifeof the engine without requiring removal of the debris from thereservoir.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The various features, advantages and other uses of the present impingingoil filter will become more apparent by referring to the followingdetailed description and drawing in which:

FIG. 1. is a cross sectional view showing an internal combustion enginewith one aspect of an oil filter;

FIG. 2. is an enlarged perspective view of the oil filter shown in FIG.1;

FIG. 3. is a partial cross sectional view of an engine including anotheraspect of an oil filter; and

FIG. 4 is a partially cross sectioned, perspective view of the oilfilter and oil pan shown in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is depicted one aspect of an oilfilter 10 which can be used in an internal combustion engine 20 toremove containments, such as metal particles and dirt, from oil flowingthrough the engine 20 during engine operation and which does not requirereplacement during the useful operating life of the engine 20.

As shown in FIG. 1, a typical internal combustion engine 20 includes aplurality of pistons 22 housed within an engine block 24 andindividually connected by connecting rods 26 to a crank shaft 28 locatedin the bottom portion of the engine block 24. An oil pan 30 is removablycoupled to mating mounting flanges 32 in the engine block 24 and the oilpan 30 to form a reservoir for oil circulating through the engine 20.

The oil collects in a sump 34 at the bottom of the oil pan 30 after theoil has flowed through the engine 20. An oil pump, not shown, pumps theoil from the sump 34 back through the components of the engine 20 in arepeating cycle.

As shown in FIG. 1, the high speed of revolution of the crank shaft 28during engine operation centrifugally flings the oil denoted byreference number 40 from the engine 20 to the surrounding walls of thebottom case wall 42 of the engine block 24.

The oil pan 30 can take any shape depending upon the shape of theengine. Generally, the oil pan 30 will contain a bottom wall 31 andupstanding sidewalls 33. The sidewalls 33 terminate in the uppermounting flange 32 to allow the oil pan 30 to be removably attached tothe bottom portion of the engine block 32.

During engine operation, the crank shaft 28 as well as other enginecompliments rotate or reciprocate at high speeds. The high speedrotation of the crank shaft 28 flings the oil droplets 40 outward bycentrifugal force. Such oil droplets 40 will in train metal particlesand dirt circulating in the oil supply.

The oil droplets 40 strike the bottom case wall 42 of the engine block24 and flow by gravity and inertia downward into the oil pan 30.

In the aspect shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the oil filter 10 includes adebris reservoir disposed in the oil pan 30 at a location to receive theoil droplets 40 flowing by gravity and inertia from the bottom case wall42 of the engine block 24. The oil droplets 40 flow into the filter 10where the heavier metal particles and dirt flow by gravity and inertiato the bottom portion of the debris reservoir as shown by referencenumber 48 in FIG. 1. A counter-flow of clean oil droplets 40 which donot contain entrained metal particles and dirt will overflow the topportion of the reservoir 10 and flow into the oil sump 34 forrecirculation through the engine 20.

In the aspect 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the filter 10 is in the form ofa plate 50 having a large main wall 52, opposed side flanges 54 and 56and an interned bottom wall 58. The sidewalls 54 and 56 and the bottomwall 58 are secured to the sidewall 33 of the oil pan 30 by suitableseal means, such as, rivets, welds, etc. The sidewalls 54 and 56 and thebottom wall 58 are bent to offset the wall 52 in a spaced apart mannerfrom the adjoining sidewall 33 of the oil pan 30. This spaces a top edge60 of the wall 52 a distance from the sidewall 33 of the oil pan 30forming an open top end in the debris reservoir 10 for the collection ofoil droplets 40 as the oil droplets 40, after being centrifugally flungoutward from the engine, flow downward along the bottom case wall 42 ofthe engine block 24 into the reservoir 10.

The vertical height as well as the horizontal length of the plate 50 isformed so as to provide a sufficient volume within the reservoir tocollect metal particles dirt and other debris entrained in the engineoil for the life of the engine. This eliminates the need for a removablefilter to be mounted in the engine which must be replaced every5,000-10,000 miles of engine operation.

Another aspect of the oil filter in the form of a debris reservoir 60 isshown in FIGS. 3 and 4. In this aspect, the debris reservoir 60 isformed of an angled plate having a main wall 62 and an angled lowerflange 64. The width of the wall 62 is selected so that it fits snugglyin a sealed manner within the oil pan 30 between opposed portions of thesidewalls 33. The lower flange 64 is sealingly fixedly to the bottomwall 31 of the oil pan 30 by rivets, welds, etc.

The main wall 62 is angled from the lower flange 64 to an upper edge 66which is spaced from an adjacent portion of the oil pan sidewall 33 toform an open top end positioned to receive the centrifugally outwardflung oil droplets 40 carrying entrained debris as the oil droplets 40move downward along the case wall 42 of the engine block and an upperportion of the sidewall 33 of the oil pan 30 into an open reservoir orcavity 68 formed between the wall 62 and the adjoining portions of theoil pan sidewall 33 and the bottom wall 31.

As with the first aspect, the height and width of the wall 62 of thedebris reservoir 60 is chosen to provide a predetermined particulatevolume within the interior cavity 68 to enable oil and entrained debristo be collected throughout the life of the vehicle without requiringremove of the oil pan 30 and cleaning of the interior cavity 68.

What is claimed is:
 1. An oil pan for an engine with a rotating membercentrifugally moving oil radially outward toward an engine case wall,the oil pan comprising: a reservoir carried in the oil pan forcollecting oil and entrained debris as the oil flows into the oil pan;the reservoir defined by a wall with a top edge, the wall fixed to aninterior of an oil pan with opposed sides and bottom portions of thewall sealed to the oil pan; and the top edge of the wall spaced from anadjacent oil pan sidewall to collect the oil and entrained debris as theoil flows from the case wall into the reservoir whereby the debriscollects in the reservoir separate from the oil.
 2. The oil pan of claim1 wherein the wall of the reservoir comprises: a main wall portionhaving opposed side flanges and a bottom flange; the opposed sideflanges and the bottom flange fixedly secured to the oil pan and spacinga top edge of the wall from an adjacent portion of the oil pan sidewall.3. The oil pan of claim 1 wherein the wall of the reservoir comprises: amain wall portion having an offset bottom flange; the bottom flangefixedly and sealingly secured to the oil pan; opposed side portions ofthe main wall seemingly deposed relative to the oil pan; a top edge ofthe main wall spaced from an adjoining oil pan sidewall to define anopening into an interior volume defining the debris collectionreservoir.
 4. The oil pan of claim 1 wherein; the oil pan includes abottom wall and sidewalls, the wall fixed to the sidewalls.
 5. The oilpan of claim 4 wherein: the bottom of the wall is spaced above thebottom wall of the oil pan.
 6. The oil pan of claim 4 wherein: a mainportion of the wall is parallel to a portion of the oil pan sidewall. 7.The oil pan of claim 2 wherein: the wall side flange spaces the top edgeof the wall from the sidewall of the oil pan.
 8. The oil pan of claim 4wherein: the wall is disposed at a non-parallel angle from the oil pansidewall; and the bottom flange of the wall is fixed to the bottom wallof the oil pan.
 9. The oil pan of claim 1 wherein: the reservoir definesan interior volume for collecting oil from the engine case wall.
 10. Amethod for forming an oil filter in an oil pan of an engine withrotating components for removing debris from circulating through theengine oil, the method comprising: centrifugally moving oil droplets bythe moving components of the engine radially outward from the movingcomponents; accumulating the oil droplets on a case wall of engine;allowing flow from the oil droplets along the case wall toward the oilpan by inertia and gravity; forming a reservoir with an open top endspaced from a sidewall to an engine oil pan below the case wall tocollect oil and debris flowing downward from the case wall; separatingdebris from the oil in the reservoir and collecting the debris in thebottom of the reservoir to clean the oil of the debris.
 11. The methodof claim 10 further comprising: forming a reservoir of a plate fixed tothe side wall of an engine oil pan.
 12. The method of claim 10 furthercomprising: forming the reservoir of a wall having a top edge spacedfrom the side wall the oil pan and an opposed side flanges joined to theside wall of the oil pan; and the bottom flange of the wall fixed to thebottom wall of the oil pan.